I’ve been a journalist for over 20 years. I began as a feature writer on the UK’s Independent on Sunday newspaper and set up as a freelance in 2000. Since then, I’ve written for many of the UK’s national newspapers and magazines, from the Financial Times and the Guardian to Country Living and Cosmopolitan, and I’ve interviewed everyone from A-list celebrities, businesspeople, sportspeople and musicians to teachers and teenagers, farmers and fashion designers, cooks and criminals – plus many others. I’ve also recently been back to university to pick up a second degree in psychology, because the human mind fascinates me. Everyone has an interesting story to tell if it’s presented well and that’s what I like to do.

Retaining Talent In Times Of Change: 5 Tips For Hanging Onto Good People

Felicity Long is head of digital media at Carat, the leading global media agency, part of Dentsu Aegis Network. During the recent restructure of Aegis, she managed to retain a strong team of talented professionals. Business restructures can often prove challenging, especially when it comes to talent, while the advertising industry is well-known for high turnover rates. Long maintained the enthusiasm of her team throughout and her role was recognised when she won the 2014 IPA and CampaignWomen of Tomorrow award, which celebrates women who have made a difference, broken new ground in the advertising industry and shown the qualities required in future leaders of the industry.

While not everyone will need to tackle changes on the scale of the restructure of Aegis and Carat, there can’t be many businesses that don’t have to address change in one form or another. “Change is going to be a static feature – which might sound odd, but all businesses need to go through change and I believe that, if the foundations are right, you will retain people,” says Long. Her tips below are also, she says, relevant for retaining talent generally, whether you have 100 people working for you, or just five. “For me, talent management is about being interested in people, remembering that human beings are human beings. At Carat we’re in a service business and our business is people. The churn can be massive in digital and there’s such a skills shortage out there that people can go out and get another job tomorrow if they’re any good, so finding ways of keeping them is crucial.”

Felicity Long, head of digital media at Carat

So: what makes talented people likely to stick with you in times of change?

Develop and maintain a strategy

“Recruitment is the start and, ultimately, having a strategy around recruitment isn’t just about the team, it’s about the wider business and the skill set it requires. You have to be very clear about what you want from people: be open about the values required, and don’t compromise. Start with an end in mind for each person. When I recruit, I interview lots and lots of people, and all of them could do the job – but that’s not enough. What they’ve got to show me is how they are going to support their colleagues. A fully functioning motivating factor is what I need to see.”

Look at the team as a whole

“It’s important to share what’s happening with the team: to say ‘We’re recruiting, we’re looking for this type of person, you guys are a fantastic team and I want someone to add value to this team.’ This allows people to feel part of the process and feel part of the building of the team. You sometimes don’t recruit for the now, but for the future, and if the team knows you’ve got your mind on where they’re going, they can see that you’re recruiting for their future rather than just slotting someone in – they can see what that new person is bringing in. Sometimes you’re looking for someone with a slightly different skill set that you know will be really important going forward – and will help develop other people’s careers.

“You can’t have too many of the same kinds of people. Anyone sensible knows what they’re good at – and not so good at – and you will know the plusses and minuses of each individual and can work around that. There’s no point in me recruiting 10 people like me, because there’s only one role, and there are people in my team who are good at things I’m not good at! Look to sports teams. I find the Tour de France fascinating: it doesn’t look like a team sport, but it is. Sometimes we all have to do something that stretches us to help another person to get the thing they want; perhaps working on a new business pitch that ultimately will have an impact on everybody else. Working as a team, everybody is happy with that.”

Actively encourage and deliver development

“In a busy environment, two hours of training means two extra hours somewhere else, so it’s about getting people to see how development is about them as well as about the business. People should be excited about training: it’s like playing a game, new things equal rewards. A career is essentially about picking up skills. You get better, and then you get a better job. You have to prioritise and listen; we often don’t listen enough to what the individual needs. One person might need help with organisation, another with speaking and presenting, so help them work out their individual goal. When you know what they need to work on, you can look at the overall plan and give them a task that will help them apply that training. That leads to unconscious learning, and if it’s aligned to a business task, it’s painless.”

Reward fairly

“You have to understand what value looks like for the individual. The behaviour of someone who has enough money each month to do what they want to do and have fun with their friends is very different to that of someone who’s having a child. You need to understand where people are coming from when they are talking to you about pay, and having open and honest conversations about that is important. If you listen, and speak regularly, that’s a lot easier. Get into a position where you reward people for great performance. A pay review is called a review for a reason: it shouldn’t be automatic. If you’re performing well and the business wants to invest in you, that’s a positive message. And you shouldn’t put this issue to one side and then have to pay someone over the odds because they leave; if you have to buy someone back, they often don’t stay long because you’ve broken a position of trust. The culture of the business and the individual teams within it is so important, whether you’ve got new staff coming in or are trying to retain those you have. I’ve worked for Aegis for seven years; I like working for Aegis, I like what it stands for. When I look at my team, every single person could get another job tomorrow, but they like working in the team, they’re unified, they know what they’re aiming at.”

Be authentic as a leader

“I often find it ironic that people can maintain relationships outside work but don’t think the same rules apply in the office. Relationships with other human beings work the same way inside the office and outside it. Authenticity as a leader is very important. Any gap between your perception of yourself and who you are at work really shouldn’t be there. You need to do what you’ve said you’re going to do: people feel very disappointed if you don’t, just as they would at home. As a leader, you’ve got to come to terms with the fact that your team’s development equals your development, and you need to find time to help and coach. We invest heavily in making sure people can coach each other and we have a global leadership development scheme. That’s a heavy investment but it’s important. I’m not responsible for every single person’s career, but I’m there to help them make their careers as successful as possible and to open up opportunities. For me, the investment in coaching makes one of the biggest differences.”

And finally …

“If you get the foundation right, you’ll have an easier time managing change, regardless of sector. So get ready!”

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